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Annette Lu regrets,
but is not opposed to Hsieh trip
By Lee Yu-hsin and Stacy Hsu / Staff Reporter, with Staff Writer
Former vice president Annette Lu
tells reporters in Taipei yesterday that she hopes former premier Frank Hsieh
will exercise caution on his upcoming visit to China, and that the visit will
conducted in an open and transparent way.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Former vice president Annette Lu (§f¨q½¬)
yesterday expressed ¡§regret¡¨ over former premier Frank Hsieh¡¦s (Áªø§Ê)
announcement that he would leave for China on Thursday for a world bartending
competition and to pay respect to his ancestors.
Lu made the remark in a speech to the ¡§China Watch Symposium¡¨ in Taipei
established by six pro-localization think tanks and organizations.
Lu called on Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members who are to visit China
in the future to uphold three principles: discretion, transparency and
responsibility, adding that these principles should be followed particularity by
the party¡¦s heavyweights.
Lu said she would not voice opposition to or comment on any party members¡¦ plans
to visit Beijing, because ¡§after all, the DPP cannot close the door on
cross-strait interactions. However, the party can give careful thought to how it
opens that door.¡¨
Comparing the red-carpet receptions given to former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
chairman Lien Chan (³s¾Ô) during his visits to China with what might be given to
Hsieh, Lu cautioned that if Hsieh, who is to become the first DPP heavyweight to
visit China, is not given equivalent treatment, the visit could be ¡§a severe
degradation¡¨ for the DPP.
¡§If Hsieh fails to receive a proper reception, other less senior DPP members may
get even worse treatment if they visit China,¡¨ Lu said.
Despite having received several invitations to visit China in the past few
years, Lu said she was not tempted to do so because of her previous role as the
country¡¦s vice president for eight years.
¡§For the sake of Taiwan, I will consider the possibility of visiting China only
if such a visit is made with proper arrangements, with dignity an absolute
necessity,¡¨ Lu said.
Lu said that while many people were still of the opinion that the
pro-independence party tended to oppose any matters associated with China, that
was not the case.
¡§Even if such a mindset used to exist, it does not anymore,¡¨ Lu said.
Citing a letter of advice she wrote to China that was published to coincide with
the symposium, Lu said the relationship between both sides of the Taiwan Strait
should resemble that of two neighbors.
¡§While there is only one China in the world, there is also one Japan and one US.
Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule for about half a century and under the
direct influence of the US for almost four decades, but none of these countries
have ever claimed Taiwan as their own. Given this, why is Taiwan ¡¥forcibly¡¦ part
of China?¡¨ Lu wrote in her letter.
In lieu of the ¡§one China¡¨ principle, Lu said Taiwan and China should develop a
more substantial relationship based on the concept of ¡§distant relatives and
close neighbors,¡¨ which tallies with historical facts.
Saying that the ¡§China threat¡¨ has arrived on Taiwan¡¦s doormat or even barged
into the country, Michael Hsiao (¿½·s·×), chairman of Academia Sinica¡¦s Institute
of Sociology, urged Taiwan to embrace pragmatic thinking on issues pertaining to
China, rather than clinging to romantic expectations.
¡§The false appearance of peaceful cross-strait reunification that has been
created by visit after visit from Chinese government officials, who many of
their Taiwanese counterparts seem to be busy buttering up, and the scores of
retired Taiwanese politicians and businessmen who go to China to seek personal
gain should be righted,¡¨ Hsiao said.
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